RESOURCES.

Drug do's, don't's

Medications can do you more harm than good if you fail to take them in the amounts prescribed or at the proper times, notes a story in the Feb. 15 issue of Bottom Line Personal.

Dr. Netra Thakur, clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, discusses eight common mistakes and how to prevent them. Among the problems are ignoring label directions and skipping medication doses.

Combining prescription drugs with supplements may greatly increase your risk of side effects. For example, the herb ephedra may interact with many cardiac drugs, and garlic supplements can lead to internal bleeding when taken with the anticoagulant warfarin.

Patients also sometimes fail to recognize a drug's side effects. The blood pressure drug called an ACE inhibitor, for instance, can cause a dry cough that some people might mistake as the symptom of a cold or allergy. It's important to let your physician know about any new symptoms that arise after you begin taking a new drug.

Botox drawbacks

Botox may effectively banish wrinkles, but, as with many things, it doesn't come without a price. Botox, or botulinum toxin type A, works by interfering with the chemical signal between nerve and muscle so the muscle can't contract and cause a wrinkle, notes a report in the February issue of Elle magazine. The resulting muscle atrophy may seem like a benefit, but over time doctors fear that it will lead to increased sagging of the skin.

"A young face is characterized by thick, short muscles which create a tight, toned face. As we get older our muscles get loose, and injecting them with Botox could speed that process," says Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist based in Meriden, Conn.

Botox also can throw off the symmetry of the face. "If someone injects only the lower forehead, you could see their browline drop," says Dr. Richard Skolnik, a plastic surgeon in New York City.

In addition, improper use of Botox can cause thickening of the upper face, a bulking up around the temples.

In short, know what you're getting into before heading to that Botox party.

Bad-odds cancer

Pancreatic cancer is an uncommon, yet grim diagnosis. If the cancer is caught while confined to the pancreas, just 16 percent of the patients survive five years later. And if the cancer has spread, just 2 percent live five more years.

A story in the February issue of the Harvard Health Letter discusses the risks of this deadly cancer as well as prevention, symptoms, screening and treatment. Researchers do know that pancreatic cancer strikes older people, with a median age of 71. Men and African-Americans are disproportionately affected as well.

Five to 15 percent of pancreatic cancers have a genetic link. In the family of former President Jimmy Carter, his father, brother and two sisters died of pancreatic cancer.

The biggest controllable risk factor is smoking. University of Minnesota researchers also learned recently that low-dose aspirin could cut the risk of pancreatic cancer almost in half.

For the latest facts and figures on the incidence of specific cancers, head to the Web site of the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, or call the society at 800-227-2345 for booklets.